The present invention relates to a closure device for a closure flap, and more particularly, to a closure device having an actuating element which is remote from the closure flap, and having a longitudinal displaceable spring wire which is articulated pivotably in each case on the closure flap and the actuating element, transmits tensile and compressive forces and of which the position can be determined by a position element, which is stationary with respect to the mounting of the closure flap, and in which device the actuating element is located outside a chamber which accommodates the closure flap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,194 shows a relatively complicated and expensive closure device.
An object of the present invention is to simplify a closure device and configure it so that it can be produced as cost-effectively as possible. In the present invention, the closure flap should be located within a chamber which is sealed with respect to the atmosphere, and the actuating element for the closure flap should be located outside this chamber. Furthermore, the open position and the closed position of the closure flap should be settable in a stable manner.
The foregoing object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a closure device in which the position element is a slot through which the spring wire passes and which is located in a housing which accommodates the closure flap in a sealed manner with respect to the atmosphere, and in that, in that length region in which the spring wire, over its displacement path, can come to rest within the slot, said spring wire has at least one locally defined bend or deflection which runs transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent of said spring wire and, by way of frictionally locking latching on a border region of the slot, can establish at least an open position and closed position of the closure flap.
The present invention is based on the concept of providing the spring wire with a local deflection or bend between the closure flap and actuating element. Thereby, in conjunction with a position element which is stationary with respect to the mounting of the closure flap and is in the form of a spring-wire-guiding slot within a housing wall, at least a stable closed position and open position for the closure flap is achieved in a simple manner.
With the closure flap accommodated within a chamber which is sealed with respect to the outside, and with the actuating element located outside said sealed chamber, the spring wire is simply routed through a small slot in the outer wall of the sealed chamber. Part of the border of this slot, which only impairs the sealing of the chamber to a negligible extent, forms the stationary position element for defined positions of the spring wire with associated positions of the closure flap.
In order also to be able to obtain relatively secure intermediate positions between a closed end position and open end position of the closure flap, the spring wire should always butt, under spring stressing force, against the slot which constitutes the stationary position element.
In order merely to obtain stable end positions of the closure flap in a secure manner, it is sufficient to use a single deflection or bend of the spring wire in the displacement region of the spring wire which is assigned to the stationary position element. To avoid a pivot movement of the closure flap in the open position, a stop which defines the open position and is separate from the spring wire is advantageously provided as an abutment of the closure flap in the open position.
The actuating element of the closure device may be configured as a pivot lever in the form of a half-wheel. This half-wheel, which constitutes an adjustment wheel, may be provided, on its operation surface with a grip hollow.
If the closure flap is accommodated within a chamber which is sealed with respect to the outside and, thereby, should the actuating element be located outside this sealed chamber, then all that is required is for the connecting rod to be routed through an outer wall of the sealed chamber. For this purpose, a narrow slot is the only thing necessary if the connecting rod is configured as a spring wire. Part of the border of this slot automatically forms the stationary position element for defined positions of the connecting rod.
The closure flap of the closure device according to the present invention may be assigned, in particular, to a side duct of an air-channelling duct. This air-channelling duct may be part of a motor-vehicle air-conditioning system, in which the side duct is routed into a stowage compartment, of which the temperature is to be controlled by conditioned air.